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I don't think that we were yet asleep when ten minutes after I crawled into bed last night at 01:50 we were jolted out by the get-to-your-safe-rooms siren. We didn't get a preliminary alert. From the safe room the television news noted that many areas didn't get the preliminary alert because Iran had launched a cluster missile and apparently the trajectory of the clustering wasn't what was expected, meaning that there was no time for the prelim. We got an all clear about ten minutes later and then I slept until almost 09:00. This was, BTW, the rare occasion on which when I wasn't on my way to the college I woke up before Tzippi who woke up only when she got a phone call at 09:15.
I devoted almost all of my morning to finally sending out the archives newsletter I'd been working on (and I still found two mistakes). But it's out and maybe now I can focus on other projects. After we ate Tzippi went out to a rehearsal with the first graders for the Ma Nishtana. Although we won't be having a community seder, we'll be sending out a few videos of some of the traditional "performances". Among other items my newsletter included a link to the entire seder I'd prepared during Covid (also as a YouTube playlist), and also a collection of videos from last year's seder. Hopefully all this will contribute to a more festive atmosphere when most of the kibbutz won't have any sort of seder.
We had an additional preliminary alert while Tzippi was at her rehearsal. After a few minutes I heard distant sirens. I turned on the television and didn't see Hatzor listed, nor did I get any further warning on my phone, so I continued to sit and read. When Tzippi returned she reported that she'd been in the shelter by the rehearsal because they had gotten a siren (or a message on their phones) and berated me for not going into our safe room. So I guess I sat this one out when I actually shouldn't have.
Since then it's been quiet, though we had a preliminary alert at about 22:10 that didn't develop into anything by us. That doesn't mean that other places didn't have to get to their shelters, just that we didn't.
We did have a different blitz around midnight. The government succeeded in passing the budget which means that the government won't fall and that our elections won't be held until October (unless Netanyahu can find a way to postpone/cancel them because of the war). Yes, it's hard to imagine that our war can continue until then, but perhaps we can have a break and then another. Chances are good that the present Iranian regime will still be around, so why not. But back to the budget blitz, many millions of shekels were added to the budget at the last minute - funds to coalition partners, primarily the kharedim - by a cute trick. The coalition raised objections to its own budget so that they could add on the extra funds. I've often remarked that our government is passing as many laws now as it can because it knows that its days are numbered. But it seems that I'm wrong. It's doing this because it really wants to destroy the Israel we once knew.
I'm off to sleep - without sweet dreams.
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